Cattle-guard for railroads.



E. C. MITCHELL.

CATTLE GUARD FOR RAILROADS.

APPLICATION man FEB. 10. me.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916;

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E.C. MITCHELL.

CATTLE GUARD FOR RAILROADS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET Z- Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

w. .N K" .H w mYi. x M. W k v m (l/Wanna EDWIN CALHOUN MITCHELL, OF DEQUINCY, LOUISIANA.

CATTLE-GUARD FGR RAILROAIDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedNoV.-21, 1916.

Application filed February 10, 1916. Serial No. 77,506.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN C. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at De Quincy, in the parish of Calcasieu and State ofLouisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cattle Guardsfor Railroads, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve ments in cattle guards forrailroads, and is designed to provide an efiective barrier to preventtrespassing of cattle beyond their allotted territory, which iscomparatively inexpensive in, cost and maintenance, and which may beassembled, or repaired, with facility and despatch.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements ofparts as will hereinafter be more clearly pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example ofthe physical embodiment of my invention, wherein the guard or barrier isso constructed that the angle plates of which it is composed are ofsufiicient depth to permit the foot of a cow, or other animal, to slidedown the plane of the plate before it is possible for the guard teeth ofthe plates to strike above the hoof of the animal. In this manner ofconstructing and arranging the angle plates a guard is provided thatwill be effective in striking the animals leg, above its hoof, to reacha vulnerable part and halt the animal and turn it back, and thus preventits undesirable eXit from an inclosure.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the cattle guard, foreshortened, and partsomitted or broken away for the purpose of clear illustration. Fig. 2 isa sectional view of the railway rails showing the cattle guard in endelevation. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view at line 3-3 of Fig.2. Fig. 1 is an enlarged view showing in section the means for securingthe notched center bar to the center angle plates.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I have illustrated the rails1 and cross ties 2, the latter being cut away, or notched as at 3between the rails in order to better accommodate the guard, and insuresufficient depth to the guard so that it will be effective, and yet notproject into the way of passing chains, etc., on the railroad trains,The guard is made up of numerous angle plates 4: arranged in sections asA, B, C, the first between the rails and the two latter at the sides ofthe rails, and all angle plates are placed parallel with the trackrails. 'Each angle plate has a notched or toothed upper edge 5, and alower, horizontal flange 6, and these flanges are properly perforated'for the fastening means used in connection therewith. The angle platesare fastened together by means of a series of transverse bars, as thosedesignated 7 for the plates of section A, and those designated 8 for theplates of sections B and C. These bars are perforated to align with theperforations in the flanges 6, and bolts 9 and nuts 10 are utilized tosecure the flanges to the transverse bars. In this manner the sectionsare made up independently of each other, and it will be apparent thatthe width of the sections may be increased by the addition of angleplates and the extension of transverse bars, and it is also apparentthat the number of angle plates in a given width may be increased byaltering the space between the plates.

It will be noted that the plates of the outer sections point inwardlytoward the rails, and the plates of the section A are arranged at eachside of 'itslongitudinal center to point toward the respective rails ofthe track. Because of the arrangement of the plates of section A, avalley is created at the center of the section, and this valley isoccupied by a longitudinally extending center bar 12, preferably ofmetal and formed with a serrated edge 13 at both its sides. The ends 14of this serrated or toothed bar are bent under and perforated, and thebar itself is also perforated to accommodate the securing bolts 15, fourof which are illustrated. These bolts are passed through thebar 12,through two flanges 6, 6, of the two center angle plates, and throughone of the center transverse bars 7. A strengthening sleeve 16 encirclesthe bolt between the upper portion of the center bar 12 and the bentends of the bar and flanges, at the ends of the bar 12, and similarsleeves 16 are used between the bar 12 and the flanges, in securing theparts to the transverse bars, and nuts 17 are employed to tie the partstogether. In this mannera rigid and strong combination of parts iseffected, and the sections, which are in themselves unitary structuresare attached to the cross ties by means of bolts 11 passed through theperforated ends of the flanges 6 as shown.

As thus arranged, it will be observed that there are no unguardedvalleys for the animal to walk through, but on the other hand, the hoofof a cow, for instance, will slide down the inclined plane upon which itis placed, and the teeth of the adjoining plate will be sure to strikeabove the hoof and frighten or hurt the animal, with the desired eflect.

What I claim is A railway cattle guard comprising angle plates arrangedparallel with the rails and each angle plate formed with a toothed upperedge and a flange having perforations therein, said plates having theirtoothed edges pointed from the center at each side thereof and the twocentral plates having;

EDWIN CALHOUN MITCHELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

